The International World Games Association, IWGA, had its only symbol, the IWGA logotype, created for the inaugural edition of The World Games in 1981. No strict rules regarding its use – in general or in connection with other icons and brands created by the games’ hosts – were ever defined.

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Only after the 2001 edition in Akita, JPN, did Roland Hilfiker, Vice President of the IWGA at the time, suggest a makeover of the logo and the creation of additional icons. Catalan designer Lluís Puigbert adapted the classic 1981 logo to more contemporary standards and came up with 47 pictograms, one for each participating sport (or discipline). A branding statement was developed too: “The World Games: 30+ sports at their best!” All these elements were to make for a stronger IWGA brand between them. Detailed visual identity instructions were authored to govern their use. Firm name usage guidelines were established too: “The World Games,” with the definite article “The” – including the upper case “T” despite grammar.

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The World Games 2005 Duisburg were the first ones to make use of these elements and to abide strictly by the norms that the IWGA had established. The concept of clustering the 30+ sports by themes (Artistic and Dance Sports, Ball Sports, Martial Arts, Precision Sports, Strength Sports, Trend Sports) was also introduced by Hilfiker and applied for the first time to the Sports and Invitational Programs in 2005.

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All IWGA icons – logo, pictograms and branding statement – underwent another redesign in 2007. Creative minds from the von Mannstein group in Germany assisted Puigbert and SAI in updating the different visuals. A new Corporate Identity Manual was published and enforced for the Games through 2017.